Forever tragedy
by Charlotte King
Summary: Naraku has a wife but what happens when she accidentally becomes acquainted with inuyasha's unsuspecting band of friends? we shall see...
1. Chapter 1

Kagura soared through the air, urging the wind to push her feather forward. Sesshomaru was hot on her trail and the small woman sitting behind her clutched the stems of the giant feather with all her might. Akari held her breath and kept her eyes closed as nausea swept over her. She reached to pull her kimono tighter around her belly, as if the fabric would somehow protect her unborn child.

She was Naraku's wife, and no one in the world new she existed. Because he was moving forward with his plans to obtain more shards of the shikon jewel, he wanted to move Akari to a new hideout where she could remain undiscovered. Unfortunately, they hadn't made it very far before Sesshomaru caught their scent.

"Hold on tight!" Kagura shouted over the roar of the wind.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Akari yelled back.

Kagura could hear the desperation in her voice. She turned in the direction of the forest, hoping to lose their pursuer in the trees. However, with his nose to guide him, the chances of that happening were very slim.

The she-demon guided the feather in between the trees, trying to escape the danger. She almost began to believe that she lost him when suddenly, Sesshomaru's poison claws reached out to slash at the pair of women.

With a cry Akari fell from the feather and Kagura, believing her to be a lost cause, left her behind. As Akari fell to the ground she smacked her head against a tree and fell unconscious. Sesshomaru paused to sniff her.

"Human." He spat. Believing that she was of no importance since Kagura left her for dead, Sesshomaru began his pursuit once again.

The forest was dark and many creatures lie in wait as Akari remained vulnerable and unprotected. But as the dawn approached, a small company made their way over a nearby hill.


	2. Chapter 2

As usual Shippo and Inuyasha were arguing over the mornings events.

"I still can't believe you ate the last box of cereal!" Shippo cried.

"Snooze you lose twerp" Inuyasha replied never looking down.

Shippo leapt into the air and grabbed Inuyasha's ears before he could turn. Inuyasha roared in pain and growled before grabbing Shippo by the tail and slamming him to the ground. Shippo automatically began to cry a wail, triggering Kagome's protective instincts.

"Inuyasha…Sit boy!" She ordered.

Inuyasha raced head first against his will into the ground creating a small creator as he did so. He groaned in pain turning his head to the side to see a woman lying next to him. He jerked into a squatting position and began to sniff her as the rest of the group looked on in concern.

"She's human for sure, but there is something familiar about that scent." Inuyasha stated. "It's like I've smelled her before but I don't remember her face."

"Is she still breathing?" Kagome asked, bending down to check the woman's condition.

"She looks ok…" Sango replied.

The woman began to stir and everybody held their breath as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes grew very big as she focused on the circle of people standing around her.

"Hi. My name is Kagome." Kagome said softly. She then indicated her companions "this is Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala."

The woman just stared at them.

"Got any excuse why you were just lying on the side of the road?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed.

"What?! People don't just lie on the side of the road." Inuyasha replied. Kagome stomped on his foot, initiating a series of mumbled curses. Kagome turned to continue introductions, but Miroku had already beaten her to it.

"As Kagome said, my name is Miroku. You are very beautiful and I was wondering… would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

Sango was about to hit him across the head with her hiraikostu but the woman spoke up first.

"Sorry can't, oven's already full." Everybody looked down to her stomach, wondering how they missed the fact that she was VERY pregnant. She tried to get up and Kagome reached out to help her.

"Thanks for the wakeup call and see you later." She waved moving to walk away.

"Wait a minute! You can't go walking around by yourself in your condition." Kagome exclaimed.

"I got places to be." The woman replied

"Well, let us walk with you at least until we get to the next village." Sango suggested.

"I'm not going to town."

"Well then where are you headed?" Kagome  
asked.

The woman pointed towards the forest.

"That's stupid!" Inuyasha yelled suddenly. "Do you know what kind of daemons in there that would love to get ahold of you?!" He moved forward, picked her up and put her on Kilala's back. "Fly high enough so she can't jump off."

"No stop it! Put me down!" The woman screamed, as Kilala rose into the sky. Everybody just looked on shocked.

"Tell us your name at least and we'll get you back on the ground." He informed her.

She pursed her lips.

"We have all day." Inuyasha taunted.

After a moment she replied, "Akari"

Inuyasha nodded to Kilala. She descended and Inuyasha helped Akari off her back. She fixed him an evil glare that made him physically take a step back.

"Wow, Kagome you got nothing on her!" Shippo cried as he hid behind Kagome.

After a moment of awkward silence Kagome stepped in to calm the situation.

"Well I know Shippo is still hungry so how about an early lunch?" Kagome suggested. "You must be hungry."

Akari felt her stomach growl back at her. "I guess"

"Great! I'll get the water boiling!" Kagome replied, glad that she was able to defuse the situation, for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Naraku grabbed Kagura by the throat, lifted her off her feet and slammed her against the wall, all in the blink of an eye.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?!" He roared.

Kagura only gurgled as she struggled to breathe. Naraku relaxed his grip just enough to allow air through so she could speak.

"We were… being chased… Sesshomaru… she fell…"

Naraku flung her across the room, vibrating with rage.

"You will find her… alive and unharmed… or I swear whatever fate has befallen her, you will share."

* * *

"_Dam… how do I get myself into these situations_" Akari thought to herself. "_As soon as I get the chance I'm out of here_."

Akari knew perfectly well who this particular band of people was. She never met them of course but they were some of Naraku's sworn enemies. It went without saying that enemies of Naraku's were enemies of hers. It didn't matter how cute the youngest one was.

"Want some more cookies?" Shippo asked her with huge eyes. _Those big… adorable- no! Stop it_!

"Sure"

Akari took the cookie, waiting for the noodles to be ready. Kagome's timer went off and she stirred the noodles one more time before handing the cup to Akari.

"Thank you" She mumbled.

The awkward silence was deafening.

"So Akari where are you from?" Kagome asked.

"Home." She replied

"O.k. what's with your attitude?" Inuyasha barked.

"Inuyasha quit being so rude!"

"She's the one being rude! First we pick her up off the side of the road, and then we are feeding her lunch! She won't even have a conversation with us!"

A quick "Sit boy!" promptly put an end to that argument.

"Look I'm not trying to be rude, I just want to keep my personal business to myself" She told him.

"That's completely fair!" Kagome responded. "I guess what Inuyasha was trying to say is that… well… it's not every day you see a woman unconscious on the side of the road."

Akari thought of the best way to answer so she could get them off her back.

"Ok all you need to know is that I was attacked. I got separated from my guard and I'm trying to get home."

"You were attacked?!" The whole grouped exclaimed.

"Was it a demon?" Sango asked.

"Yes…" Akari replied tentatively.

They could see that they weren't going to get any more information out of Akari. Her lips were tighter than Shippo's grip on one of Kagome's lollipops.

"Do you need help getting home?" Kagome asked her.

"Uh…no thanks."

And again with the awkward silence.

"Well I should probably get going then." Akari stood, waved and began to walk back down the path.

"Good riddance…" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. Kagome yanked hard on his ear.

His cry of pain was masked by the roar of a giant snake demon bursting out of the forest. They would have ignored him, if he weren't headed straight for Akari.

"I know your face…." It the snake hissed with malice.

Inuyasha pounced to his feet and ran full pin, drawing tetseiga out of its sheath. He reached to grab Akari but he was too late. The snake's tail coiled around her ankle and lifted her into the air. Inuyasha rounded on the demon.

"Put her down right now!"

"This is none of your concern half-ling." It sneered.

"Big mistake…." Kagome mumbled under her breath.

Without second thought Inuyasha raised his sword and slashed his off the head of the snake. Shippo ran forward and morphed into a pink ball to catch Akari as she fell. Inuyasha sheathed his sword with a cold glare, turning back to walk towards the group with his arms crossed.

"Are you o.k.?" Kagome asked concerned.

"Who's the one lying dead back there." Inuyasha mumbled.

Shippo floated with Akari and made his way over to the rest of the group as they rushed forward to check on her.

"I'm fine … really…" She reassured them.

"There's no way we are going to let you go on your own." Sango stated holding Akari's arm.

"_What am I going to do_." Akari thought to herself. "_If I stay with them they might find out, but obviously I'm in no condition to protect myself._"

…

Fine I'll go with you." She said out loud. "But we I say we need to go our separate ways I mean it o.k.?"

They all smiled at her like they were already old friends.

"Alright then" Kagome spoke up as she clapped her hand together. "Let's pack up and get going."

The group started gathering their things, while Inuyasha took a moment from his self-pity to talk to Akari.

"I've got a question for you." He stated looking at her straight in the eye. "Why didn't you scream?"

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't scream when you got grabbed, you didn't scream when you fell. Weren't you scared for your life?"

She looked back at him just as fiercely as he looked at her. "First of all I have seen way scarier than that pathetic waste of space. Secondly, it's not me I'm worried about."


	4. Chapter 4

Akari really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. What she told Inuyasha was true; she really wasn't concerned for her own well being. If she wasn't pregnant she'd be tearing through the forest right now, hoping to see a feather or a bamboo suit as she went.

"_Speaking of bamboo suits, I should really try to convince Naraku to wear less stupid camouflage_." She thought to herself.

"Whacha thinking about Akari?" Shippo asked

"Oh just what to do when I get home."

"Where's home for you?"

"_Well as long as I'm here I might as well get some information out of these guys_."

"O.k.!" Shippo exclaimed. "Let's see... I'm an orphan, a fox demon, and the best fighter of the group! Isn't that right Kagome?"

"Sure it is Shippo" She encouraged with a smile.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"So what do you guys do exactly?" Akari inquired. "I mean what kind of business does a monk, two demons, demon **hunter** and a girl have in common?"

"We it's a long story, but I guess the short version it we have two main goals we are trying to achieve." Kagome began. "We are trying to gather the shards of the sacred Shikon jewel."

"Which Kagome broke…" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. He quickly ducked his head when Kagome turned to glare at him.

"The second business we have is hunting down a demon named Naraku." Sango rushed in quickly.

"Naraku?"

"He is a very powerful demon with whom all of us have a score to settle." Miroku explained.

"What could he have possibly done to all of you?" Akari asked pretending like she didn't know all of this already. The only thing she didn't know was their side of the story.

Each of the members of the group recounted their own tale of how Naraku had wronged them. At first Akari kept a pure image of her husband in mind, convincing herself that he only did these things because they were necessary. But as the five friends continued, Akari became horrified. Naraku had told her that everything he did was for her and the baby, but how could she ignore the impacts he had made on these people's lives?

"I need to sit down" she said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked. "Are you feeling o.k.?"

"I'm fine… it's just a lot to take in."

"Usually people don't take it so hard when we tell them." Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously. "Why do you care so much?"

"Didn't I tell you that I wasn't going to say anything about myself!" she snapped.

"Look Akari, we want to respect your privacy." Kagome told her. "But you got to give us something. The way we found you wasn't exactly normal."

"Don't you think I know that!" She screamed forcing everyone to take a step back. "Look, I'm in an incredibly dangerous situation and if I told you anything about myself it would only make things worse."

"Look helping people is what we do." Kagome stated. "Seriously you point and we do whatever you need."

"It's not that simple…"

"Then help us understand so we know what to do." Kagome implored.

"Fine…" Akari couldn't take it anymore. She just had to get them off her back. "The problem is my husband has a lot of enemies. He assigned a guard to bring me to a safe haven but, we were attacked and got separated."

"Is your husband some kind of lord?" Miroku asked.

"Not really…"

"Well what does he do?" Sango asked.

"Look I've already told you guys too much…"

"You guys how about we unpack the sleeping bags and settle in for the evening." Kagome piped in. She knew the look of a person who had shared why too much of their personal business for one day.

Once the fire got started everyone snuggled in close. Akari stayed a little further back and Kagome went to go sit by her.

"Look I know we come on a bit strong but we just want to help."

"I know, but I meant what I said. The more I tell you guys the more dangerous the situation will get for everybody." She explained.

"Don't worry, I more than understand." Kagome reassured. "But if you ever want to talk, I'm here…"

Kagome started to get up but Akari spoke up.

"Kagome there is something I should tell you…" She said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"We've never officially met but I have seen you before." Akari started.

"Where would we have seen each other?" Kagome asked.

"At school."

* * *

Author note: WHAT?! who saw that coming lol! Hope it was worth the wait you guys, and sorry it took so long. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

_"Why can't people do their own dirty work" Akari mumbled to herself._

_The cultural fair was coming up in a couple of days and Akari was stuck in a group with Eri, Ayumi, Yuki and some chick named Kagome. Everything was fine until she got nominated to go to Kagome's house and fill her in on all the details. Based on the rumours she heard and the luck she had, by the end of the visit she'd leave with some terminal disease._

_Trying very hard to decipher the address in Ayumi handwriting, Akari's annoyance grew. The only description the girls gave her was to look for a shrine. _

_"Because there's only ONE shrine in all of Japan..."_

_Akari turned the corner and finally found the place. She began to climb the steps and once she got to the top the view was pretty good. Nice yard, beautiful tree in the corner. How could anyone who grew up here be sick all the time?_

_"See you later mom!" Kagome shouted._

_Akari turned her head as she heard the door slam shut. The person who she could only assume was Kagome ran across the yard and disappeared into the shed. Desperate to get home early, Akari ran after her._

_"Kagome?" Akari shouted as she slid the door open. There was no answer. The room was pretty empty except for an old well in the middle of the room. "Great... all this way for nothing."_

_Akari sighed and leaned back against the well. She didn't even want to do this stupid culture fair anyway. For a whole day everyone pretended that they knew what actually happened in the feudal era, but Akari would bet anything that they didn't have a clue._

_"If only I could really see what ancient times were like." Akari said to herself. She thought for a moment._

_"Yeah... I wish I could travel back in time to the feudal era a REALLY experience old times."_

_She was about to grad her bag off the ground and leave, when suddenly something that might have been a cat jumped out at her. Akari jumped back and fell into the well. All she could think was:_

_"Man this is going to hurt." She kept waiting to hit the bottom, only, she didn't._

_She kept falling and falling until the air around her started to shift and change colour. When she finally started to slow down, everything came back into focus. She looked around but the only thing she could see was a rope hanging against the wall._

_"I guess this has happened before." She started to climb._

_Pulling herself over the ledge, Akari was surprised her eyes didn't pop out of her head. _

_"I'd say something involving a dog, but I might pass out if I state the obvious."_

* * *

"So that's how you got here?" Kagome asked.

"Pretty much the long and short of it."

"Oh my god I am so sorry!" Kagome said shocked. "I should have paid more attention."

"It's not your fault. Really Kagome I was being nosy." Akari reassured. "My life turned out ok, considering what could have happened to me out here."

"Did you ever try to go back?" Shippo asked.

By this point everyone around the fire had woken up and was listening in.

"Yes I did, several times." Akari responded a little surprised. "But the well never opened up for me."

"So you've just been wandering around for two years?" Inuyasha asked.

"Kind of... I mean obviously I've climbed the ladder of life." She said indicating her stomach. "And I've had a few adventures, but ever since I got married, things have been low-key on my end."

Everybody went quiet for a moment.

"Well we are glad you're here now!" Shippo said with a big grin on his face.

"Me too..."

And with that everyone settled into their blankets and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning was pretty much uneventful. Breakfast as usual, then everyone packed up and moved out. Akari rode on Kilala with Sango because it was getting difficult to walk in her condition. They had traveled a distance before Inuyasha raised his nose and started to sniff the air.

"Sesshomaru" He spat.

In split second, the man in question landed in front of the group. Everyone shifted to put a hand on their weapons. Inuyasha's older brother tended to be quite unpredictable and they weren't sure what to expect.

"Inuyasha, who is that woman and why do you have her in your company?"

* * *

Author note: Sorry for the short chapters you guys but if I tried to make them long you'd probably never get an update haha. I would really appreciate some reviews. You know how some fanfiction really stretches the story and it doesn't match the original or make any sense? I'm really hoping I dont' do that. I will update soon.


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